The Federal Republic of Meralake
Meralake, officially the Federal Republic of Meralake is unitary presidential republic in eastern Jaseque. Meralake extends from the Euphion Sea to the Favoresan Moutains. Meralake is a member of The Federation of Jaseque and JUBA (Jaseque Union of the Burtria Agreement). Meralake is the second largest country in south-eastern Jaseque, the first is Venzoa. Meralake is a major power with strong cultural, economic, military and political influence in Jaseque. Meralake boasts the largest economy in Jaseque, its main exports include iron ore, wheat, coffee, nutmeg and cocoa. Meralake also exports a substancial amount of quality chocolate, which is renouned in Jaseque for its marvellous taste. History of Meralake In the early 100s an upper Lofano tribe called the Mercio inhabited Tusulais and the surrounding area. The Mercio named the town Maloube Oprest which meant 'the key to the Loube,' as the city was built on the esturay of the Loube River. In 192 AD the Mercio decided to utilise their large population to build an army. The Mercio soon mobilised their army, and sent them north to the lands of the ruthless Eiban people. The Eiban were no match for the Mercio and they were conquered and forced to adapt to the Mercian language and culture. The Mercio soon headed west to the lands of the weak, timid Harbina people, the Harbina did not put up a fight and immediatly surrendered and joined the newly unified nation, Mercia. Mercia continued to expand during the great war of Magdolina as nations continued to fall to rebel groups in the west. Soon the first president was elected: Alec Meralake, who built the country into an economic and cultural superpower. Mercia soon continued to expand their empire conquering the Lico and Lafano people to the south. The country was named in Alec Meralake's honour. Alec Meralake was an expansionist, and he kept a close eye on the primitive Lofano and Lico people to the south who Mercia regularly traded with. In 1723 Alec in a stroke of genius sent a large distraction army moving through the famous Lappano mountain path. The Mercians were used to the altitude because Meralake is very mountainous while the Lico people of the plains suffered from altitude sickness and could not contend against the great Mercian army. The second army went around the mountains to the unguarded cities where they were able to seize control within a matter of months. After Meralake industrialised the south, the environment was a major concern. To earn popularity from the people you had to touch on this very important issue. In 1975, Norman Laminel (a Tusuleon) made a speech that divided the nation and changed the course of history. The speech sparked a vicious debate between the two major parties, the high court demanded that the parties agree on a solution or war could be evident. The two parties could not come to an agreement on a peaceful outcome so war was unavoidable. Only one region to the south supported Meralake, Caspavias, which maintained a thriving economy and world benchmark living standards. The war raged for five years (in favour of the Mercian military) until the regions of Allinision and Libkinbar marched into the city of Dobille and offered a deal to the local authorities. The regions offered to not release a statement containing the Mercian government's secret plans in exchange for independence. The Mercian government agreed to their terms but the information was leaked causing a global movement against Meralake. The Mercian military was overwhelmed by the power to the north and a newly formed nation, Venzoa. In only a space of several months 700,000 Mercians were killed, Tusulais was bombed and Dobille was burnt to the ground. After sixteen years of war Meralake had had enough and granted independence to all nations who wanted it. Caspavias, the loyal nation was forced to suceed from Meralake in order to maintain their thriving economy and high living standards. The nations remained close allies and Caspavi officials helped Meralake get back on its feet. The Mercian economy had soon returned to its usual standards and the country was thriving once again. Michael Gerandand Michael Gerandand was a commited priest in central Hamner in 1999. Michael's church happened to be located in the middle of the government district in Hamner. The neighboring 'Untenurn' (which is the headquarters for the defense ministry and the military.The Untenurn wished to annex Michael's church in order to extend the Untenurn. Michael protested and even though Michael made good points they did not listen and they told him to clear his church. Michael had soon cleared all but one item, the altar. Michael had a final prayer and started to drag the altar away. As Michael went to move the altar one of the legs fell into a hole. Michael inspected the hole and discovered a spiral staircase that lead into an underground tunnel. Michael ventured through the tunnel to another set of stairs that to his suprise was a secret passage into the Untenurn. While inside the Untenurn Michael discovered confidential documents regarding invading Venzoa. Michael decided to use these documents to blackmail the government to return his church. Michael threatened to release the documents if they did not comply with his wishes. The government accepted Michael's terms and hired private investigators to find out how he retrieved the documents. The tunnel was soon found and filled with concrete to prevent any more situations. Investigators also found that the tunnel could have played a role in the mysterious murder of General Daniel Charlerve who was one of the main instigators who helped to transcition Meralake from an absolute monarchy to a democracy. Geography of Meralake Meralake is located in south-eastern Jaseque with Van Bouras and Ponterene bordering to the north, Libkinbar, Allinision, Burtria and Torsia to the west and Caspavias and Venzoa to the south. Meralake's territory covers 12,899,345 kilometres squared making it the second largest country in south-eastern Jaseque behind Venzoa. Meralake is a very mountainous country with a large range of heights with the lowest point (Werrenpeille Canyon) at 250 metres below sea level and the highest (Mount Veloni) at 6,986 metres above sea level. Much of Meralake is covered with forests, except for the coastal regions on the Euphion Sea which have a form of coastal scrub. Many businesses use rivers instead of highways to transport goods as many Mercian rivers are wide and deep. The major rivers and throughways in Meralake are the Loube, Gourselle and the Gourd rivers. Climate Meralake has a sub-tropical climate with very hot summers and mild winters. Snowfall is extremely rare but frost has been seen on more than one occasion. The climate is hot and humid with lots of rainfall. Winters are getting hotter and so are the summers, many officials beieve that this is due to global warming. Biodiversity Meralake has many unique plants and animals, the government ensures conservation of all species in Meralake except for animals classified as pests such as the Pig-tailed Reiller. Cattle is reserved for meat and hunting and poaching are banned and large periods of time in prision apply to people who commit these crimes. Meralake is working with the Venzoan government to prevent the northern countries from exhausting the resources in the Euphion Sea, such as the Tomano fish, which is the favorite Mercian meal. Meralake's most treasured animal is the Mercian Blonde Bear which flourishes in the tropical temperatures to the south of the nation. One concern that could become a future problem is the farming of pineapples, the primary food source of the blonde bears. Politics of Meralake Transcition to Democracy Before 1919 Meralake was an absolute monarchy under the crown of the Castanle family. In 1919 Xavier Castanle the youngest member of the royal family believed that his people deserved more freedom much like the people in the far south region of Esparcova. Xavier worked with general Daniel Charlerve to start a coup and overthrow the government. Xavier was successful in his quest and one of the royal palaces was changed into the official government building. After two months of being leader Xavier held the first election in Mercian history, and the outcome was the best thing that ever happened to Meralake. President Alec Meralake was soon in office and he controlled the rebels to the south, built a stronger military, constructed a powerhouse economy and restored freedom in the people. International Relations Meralake has very close relations with all of the south eastern nations including Venzoa, Caspavias, Torrano, Laurundano, Cascarcini and Esparcova. Meralake has over 89 diplomatic missions abroad including peacekeeping in Torsia, environmental missions with Venzoa and capturing international terrorists. Meralake trades with all the south eastern nations as well as Ponterene, Saint Rowan and Ferrovium. Venzoa is Meralake's biggest partner in trade and diplomatic missions. Overseas Meralake is known for its very skilled workforce especially those in the business and political sectors. List of Presidents The current term period is three years and each president can be re-elected up to three times. Military The Mercian military is divided into four branches: marina (navy), hendeslag (airforce), andesois (coast guard) and weille (army). The Mercian army is known as the white army due to its white camouflage suits during the invasion of Lappano. The Mercian is mainly used now for defense purposes and peacekeeping. Economy of Meralake Meralake has the biggest economy in Jaseque, with its highly skilled workforce, capital stock, a low level of corruption and high levels of innovation. Meralake is the highest contributor to the Federation of Jaseque's Budget and JUBA, which is a internationally recognised government organisation that includes the nations of Meralake, Venzoa, Caspavias, Esparcova, Cascarcini, Laurundano, Torrano and Burtria. Meralake was the founding delegate of JUBA, it was created to maintain peace after the Mercian Civil War, JUBA is currently based in Tusulais. The major industries in Meralake are Chocolate, Cocoa, Coffee, Wheat, Nutmeg and Iron Ore. Just these industries alone generate over 382 billion dollars a year for the Mercian economy. Chocolate & Cocoa These factories produce over seven tonnes of luxurious chocolate each day, much of it in exotic flavors to keep up with the growing demand. Venzoans in particular have a taste for fine Mercian chocolate, buying 16,000 tonnes per year. The Lafano people in the south introduced cocoa plants to the Mercian empire during their trade partnership in early 121 AD. Since then chocolate and cocoa production has been continuous generating large amounts of money for the economy. Tusulais now has over 329,000 acres of cocao producing farms with seven major chocolate factories, employing over 7,000 people. Other Industries Coffee is another major industry in Meralake with over 85,920 acres of coffee plantations and seventeen major factories. The coffee industry generates over 111 billion dollars per year and employs over 34,000 people. Fisheries, electrical appliances, manufacturing and tourism also play a key role in the economy in Meralake. Together generating over 76,900 jobs. Major Companies *Lindam Chocolate - Chocolate and Cocoa *Ranala Coffee - Coffee *Silboana - Automobiles *Sonica Electrics - Electrical Appliances *QME Travel - Tourism *PNG International - Bank *Enquesta - Mining *Traste - Food Demographics Largest Cities in Meralake Religion The vast majority of people in Meralake are Protestant (82%) with a small minority of Catholic (7%) and 2% of people believe in what the government considers 'cults'. Some of these cults include Reabonism and Adturanism. The remaining 9% of citizens claim to be unreligious. Languages in Meralake Mercian is the most predominant and official language in Meralake, followed by Freuscian (spoken in the north). Mercian is the single official language of JUBA and one of the official languages of the Federation of Jaseque. Recognised minority languages in Meralake include Venzoan, Paglista, Lofano, Arenupaneu and Garlish. Language education is compulsory until grade 12. Students are required to learn Venzoan and Freuscian until grade 6 then students are given the opportunity to change to a language of their choice. Language is the most important subject among Mercians with bi-lingual people more likely to obtain jobs in business, politics, retail and tourism. Education The literacy rate in Meralake is 99% as education is a high priority within parliament. All children are required to attend school or home school with the more prestigious citizens attendiing private schools. Meralake has the best education system in all of Jaseque followed by Esparcova, Torrano and Venzoa. All Mercian schools offer an exchange program with Venzoa, and secondary schools also offer exchange programs to Caspavias and Esparcova. Most Common Names Based on the 2009 national census report - rounded to nearest whole number. The most common names for boys are Maurice, Gaspard, Evansor, Gabriel, Alphonse and Julian, and for girls: Bridgitte, Celeste, Nancy, Madeline, Penelope and Gabrielle.